The acupuncture and Oriental medicine profession made great strides in 2007, as the general public became more aware of the benefits of this important medicine. It all started with an introduction by Dr. Oz on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" back in February 2007. Now, acupuncture has gone prime time, with Acupuncture Today playing a supporting role in the Dec. 5, 2007 episode of the hit television show, "Private Practice," which airs Wednesday nights on ABC.
In the Dec. 5, 2007 episode, Dr. Pete Wilder (played by actor Tim Daly) is seen relaxing in his office at the Oceanside Wellness Group, reading the November 2007 issue of AT. According to the show's bio on Dr. Wilder, he is the resident holistic practitioner who specializes in forms of Eastern-derived alternative, complementary and integrative medicine. The show pegs him as a certified herbalist who spent five years in China learning alternative medicine. The show also describes Dr. Wilder as someone who combines medical acupuncture with nutritional and botanical modalities in the treatment of patients with a wide range of health conditions. This character has lectured locally and internationally on the subject of Oriental and Eastern medicine. With all of these qualified credentials, it's no wonder Dr. Wilder would be reading Acupuncture Today to keep up with the latest news and trends in the acupuncture world.
"Private Practice" was created as a spin-off of another hit ABC show, "Grey's Anatomy." It tells the story of the personal lives and medical practices of doctors working at the Oceanside Wellness Group, a truly integrative medical practice based in Santa Monica, Calif. According to the story line, the group not only includes Dr. Wilder but many other specialists, including Dr. Addison Forbes Montgomery (one of the foremost neonatal surgeons in the world); Dr. Violet Turner (a board-certified psychiatrist specializing in general adult and adolescent psychotherapy, diagnosis, evaluation and management of pharmacologic medication); Dr. Sam Bennett (the practice's internist); Dr. Naomi Bennett (a board-certified reproductive endocrinologist and fertility specialist); Dr. Cooper Freedman (a board-certified pediatrician); and William "Dell" Parker (receptionist and current student in the South Bay School of Holistic Midwifery and Family Nursing).
It remains to be seen if Acupuncture Today will make a future appearance in "Private Practice" or other TV shows. It also will be interesting to see what strides acupuncture and Oriental medicine will make in the mainstream world in 2008, as the importance of this medicine becomes more widely known and accepted.
Governor Gavin Newsom has retracted the proposed budget cuts to the Medi-Cal acupuncture program for low-income Californians for the 2024-2025 budget year. This decision marks a significant victory for health care providers and advocates who have long championed acupuncture as a vital component of comprehensive medical care.
There’s no doubt that many of your patients visit your practice because they are in pain. And there’s certainly no doubt that curcumin from turmeric (Curcuma longa) can be incredibly effective in stopping that pain, whether due to chronic conditions like arthritis or acute pain from intensive workouts. But your patients may also benefit from curcumin for other reasons.
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Fair and appropriate wages in health care are typically based on economic evaluations. A simple literature review illuminates that acupuncture is missing economic evaluations; which implies you are either underpaid or overpaid. The complexity of services provided by most American acupuncturists, which they are trained and certified to provide, must be reimbursed fairly.
